Culture of Care

5. What does it look like in practice?

So-called tunnel handling serves as a practical example to explain Culture of Care. Whereas animal attendants, lab technicians and researchers did not often share ideas in the past, companies today encourage them to communicate with each other. This exchange of ideas led the research community to appreciate how much the way in which mice and other laboratory animals are lifted out of their cages or enclosures counts towards the care of the animals. “Tunnel handling” reduces the stress level of the laboratory animals, which leads not only to better test results, but also to greater animal well-being. At the same time, the change of culture has shown all employees that management takes their arguments and suggestions for change seriously.